The invention relates to a method for the configuration, particularly the initial configuration, of a communication link-up for transmitting voice and/or user data.
If network components (data terminals), which in their spatial system are installed in a building or in the grounds of the company, are connected to one another in a data network, such a data network is called a local area network (LAN) in the literature. In large networks (LANs), the number of jointly used resources (hard disks, files, printers, communication servers, gateways etc.) increases very rapidly which results in high administrative expenditure for the network, the jointly used resources must be clearly presented so that the network facilitates the work for the users.
This problem can only be solved by a logical administrative structure. In the current network operating systems, the two different approaches of the Directory Services (Novell Network) and of the domains (Windows NT Server, IBM LAN Manager) generally exist for this purpose. In principle, it applies to all Unix variants (derivatives) such as SCO Unix, Solaris, IBM AIX, HPUX or Linux that the network capability is already integrated into the core of the system. This allows both own networks to be set up and linking to other servers.
So that all data networks or device units used in a network can be unambiguously identified, certain addresses are in each case allocated to them which are called nodes. As a rule, the node addresses are permanently entered on the network cards (interfaces) used and are unambiguous throughout the world. They are administered at a central location and each manufacturer of such network cards is allocated a particular batch of numbers to be used. For Ethernet network cards, a 48-bit MAC (Media Access Control) address is specified which enables an interface to be unambiguously identified.
To structure an LAN meaningfully from the point of view of simple administration or allocation of network components to certain work groups or projects, IP addresses are issued to the individual network components during the configuration, particularly during the initial configuration of an LAN, which addresses unambiguously identify these components in a domain or subdomain and provide for communication between them, e.g. on the basis of the TCP/IP protocol. The individual network components are normally not set up directly on site which would mean considerable personnel and time expenditure but remotely by an administration server on which, as a rule, the network operating system is running.
For this purpose, current network operating systems provide the network administrator with an extensive selection of functions such as, e.g., the IVWADMIN, IVWUSER, SYSCONW etc. in Novell Netware, by which new network components (initial configuration) can be integrated and users, storage media, printers etc. can be administered under one graphic interface. To configure network components in an (Ethernet) LAN, the corresponding service programs use standard functions such as (proxy) ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) for recognizing the MAC address allocated to an IP address for administering the network. Conversely, the IP address for a MAC address is recognized in RARP (Reverse Address Resolution Protocol). Diskless systems such as, e.g., X terminals or diskless workstations load their operating system via the network from an operating system server, initially requesting an IP address allocated to their MAC address by BOOTP (Bootstrap Protocol).
Structured communication networks by which data of all types are transmitted to the desired, addressee are becoming more and more important within the companies and organizations.
“Telephony by Internet” (IP telephony) via the intranets of the companies or organizations is also playing an ever more important role. However, this presupposes that existing LANs which may be widely separated are coupled via long-distance links to form a WAN (Wide Area Network). The problems associated with this are not only a possible heterogeneity of the linked networks due to different physical transmission media, network architectures (BUS or Token Ring), types of protocols and operating systems but also the configuration and administration, particularly the initial configuration, of such communication link-ups.
Usually, two LANs are coupled by a point-to-point connection between a primary network component (Gateway, Router) directly linked to an LAN and a secondary network component directly linked to the second LAN. On this point-to-point link, transmission protocols such as the PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) or SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) are used. The primary network component having direct access to the data network is usually provided with a so-called proxy capability—proxy ARP in the TCP/IP environment—in such systems. Whereas the primary component can be automatically initially configured with the respective mechanisms of the data network such as RARP or BOOTTP in the case of TCP/IP, such automation is not available for the network components indirectly linked (secondary network components). Thus, a simple initial configuration of a communication link-up structured in this manner does not allow the secondary network components to be reached from a network.
Although the access parameters of each network component without direct access to the network can be configured in a proprietary manner, i.e. manually and directly at the device, for the linking-up to the network, this is time-consuming and uneconomic, especially in the case of WANs with a spatial extent which is considerable in some cases. Another possibility relates to predefining a so-called default configuration of the network components without direct access to the data network. However, this gives rise to the problem that a communication link-up must not then contain a number of network components of the same type because unambiguousness in the addressing would no longer be given.
From German Offenlegungsschrift DE 199 42 465 A1, a method for issuing IP addresses in communication networks is known. The communication network here comprises a configuration computer, a number of gateways and subscriber facilities connected to the gateways. According to the method, the gateways are configured in a first step and the subscriber facilities are configured in a second step. By way of example, the first switch is configured by a data transmission D1, i.e. supplied with its IP address, for example. The first switch then acquires all Ethernet addresses of the subscriber facilities connected to it, together with the respective assignment to the port, and sends these to the configuration computer by a data packet D3. It is only after it has received the data packet D3 that the configuration computer transmits the IP addresses to the subscriber facilities by the transmission D2.
Furthermore, a method for configuring network nodes is known from European Offenlegungsschrift EP 946 027 A2, in which the network nodes are configured in such a manner that they are their own default gateway.